Oh Gosh, how to explain about India? You just got to see it!
But, advice...: Okay, take disinfectant lotion to clean your hands, or moist towels or something like that (all things, esp. toilets, can be quite dirty). DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! Drink bottled water (which is opened at your table), but plenty of it because it's very hot weather (maybe bring a hat or something for the sun). Brush your teeth with bottled water. Do not have soda's with ice, unless the ice is made from mineral water. Do not take butter that lies between melting ice cubes, unless you are somewhere trustworthy. Coke is good to drink for your stomach. Be careful with the meat (which will be chicken, chicken and more chicken); you'll get it when you see the butcher's shop in the 36 C degree heat. Make sure it is well done, and make sure the vegetables have been cooked (and be careful with salad which might be washed in the tapwater). If you do get sick (and most people do in some variation or other), then contact the local docter after a day or two/three if it hasn't gone away; don't wait too long or you'll dehydrate and you'll be much more miserable still. He'll just prescribe you some antibiotics and you'll be better in a day. Try and find quiet places to rest to get your breath back in between traveling: India is a busy place with lots and lots of people and exitement.
Expect very bouncy roads and long travel time even for seemingly short distances. Expect busy traffic and horns blowing and cows and just more people than you can imagine everywhere. In the city, take a riksha ride through the city center (this was great in Varanasi and the old center of New Delhi). Get up early because the temperature is much more bearable in the morning or late afternoon (but it gets dark early between 6 and 7 pm) and the tourist sites won't be crowded (though there were never too many tourists around when I was there just now). If you go to Varanasi, go see the evening ceremony, preferably from a boat on the Ganges to have a great view. If you go to/near Khujarou, go see the erotic temples, it is wonderful.
Also bolster yourself that you will see a lot of poverty. Do not be afraid to say "No" to salespeople who chase you down the street, even forcefully. Concerning the begging, it would be better to give money to an actual project (you might find online), than to the people on the street. They might be begging for the Maffia, or there may be nothing really wrong with them that keeps them from working (though some people are heart-breaking). A certified project is much more helpful in the long run than some rupees here or there. But if you do give, keep it to reasonable amounts (10 rupee). Even a school teacher might seem honest, but he might be riding a new moped that next week while in the school nothing changes. Mind your wallet, esp. around the kids and when you're in a Riksha keep your bag in hand just in case (they might pluck it out from beneath your feet in the busy, busy streets).
Expect people to stare at you too! But they are very friendly.
I'm probably forgetting loads of useful stuff...
I was in North India by the way: Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Orcha, Khujarou, Varanasi. If you go around that route, you are going to see some great, wonderful and beautiful stuff (but also confrontational and horrible at times). Plus, India is just an experience to never forget. What a country! It's going to be great. You just can't really compare it to anything else.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
India
Date: 2007-10-08 09:13 pm (UTC)But, advice...: Okay, take disinfectant lotion to clean your hands, or moist towels or something like that (all things, esp. toilets, can be quite dirty). DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! Drink bottled water (which is opened at your table), but plenty of it because it's very hot weather (maybe bring a hat or something for the sun). Brush your teeth with bottled water. Do not have soda's with ice, unless the ice is made from mineral water. Do not take butter that lies between melting ice cubes, unless you are somewhere trustworthy. Coke is good to drink for your stomach. Be careful with the meat (which will be chicken, chicken and more chicken); you'll get it when you see the butcher's shop in the 36 C degree heat. Make sure it is well done, and make sure the vegetables have been cooked (and be careful with salad which might be washed in the tapwater). If you do get sick (and most people do in some variation or other), then contact the local docter after a day or two/three if it hasn't gone away; don't wait too long or you'll dehydrate and you'll be much more miserable still. He'll just prescribe you some antibiotics and you'll be better in a day. Try and find quiet places to rest to get your breath back in between traveling: India is a busy place with lots and lots of people and exitement.
Expect very bouncy roads and long travel time even for seemingly short distances. Expect busy traffic and horns blowing and cows and just more people than you can imagine everywhere. In the city, take a riksha ride through the city center (this was great in Varanasi and the old center of New Delhi). Get up early because the temperature is much more bearable in the morning or late afternoon (but it gets dark early between 6 and 7 pm) and the tourist sites won't be crowded (though there were never too many tourists around when I was there just now). If you go to Varanasi, go see the evening ceremony, preferably from a boat on the Ganges to have a great view. If you go to/near Khujarou, go see the erotic temples, it is wonderful.
Also bolster yourself that you will see a lot of poverty. Do not be afraid to say "No" to salespeople who chase you down the street, even forcefully. Concerning the begging, it would be better to give money to an actual project (you might find online), than to the people on the street. They might be begging for the Maffia, or there may be nothing really wrong with them that keeps them from working (though some people are heart-breaking). A certified project is much more helpful in the long run than some rupees here or there. But if you do give, keep it to reasonable amounts (10 rupee). Even a school teacher might seem honest, but he might be riding a new moped that next week while in the school nothing changes. Mind your wallet, esp. around the kids and when you're in a Riksha keep your bag in hand just in case (they might pluck it out from beneath your feet in the busy, busy streets).
Expect people to stare at you too! But they are very friendly.
I'm probably forgetting loads of useful stuff...
I was in North India by the way: Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Orcha, Khujarou, Varanasi. If you go around that route, you are going to see some great, wonderful and beautiful stuff (but also confrontational and horrible at times). Plus, India is just an experience to never forget. What a country! It's going to be great. You just can't really compare it to anything else.